The most notable remnant is the gatehouse, a striking ivy-covered structure that guards the entrance avenue to the castle. Its barrel-vaulted passageway would have once controlled access to the castle grounds, serving as both a practical defensive feature and an imposing statement of power to anyone approaching the stronghold.

The term ‘bawn’ comes from the Irish word ‘bábhún’, meaning cattle-fort, and these walled enclosures were a common feature of plantation-era castles and fortified houses throughout Ireland. They provided a secure courtyard where livestock could be protected during raids, and often incorporated corner towers, defensive walls, and gatehouses like the one that survives at Darver. The loss of the bawn’s other elements means we’re left to imagine how imposing this fortification would have appeared in its heyday, when the complete circuit of walls would have enclosed the castle in a protective embrace.

The ivy that now cloaks the gatehouse adds a romantic quality that would appeal to any visitor interested in atmospheric ruins. While the castle itself remains the primary structure, the surviving gatehouse offers a tangible connection to the site’s defensive past; its barrel vault still intact after centuries, continuing to frame the approach just as it did when Darver was a working fortification rather than a historical curiosity.